Don’t use age as an excuse. It’s not a mantra that Spanish men’s water polo captain Felipe Perrone adheres to. The 37-year-old world champion legend, who began playing these championships before one of his team-mates was born, plays more time than most players except for goalkeepers. And he is probably the only athlete in Fukuoka making a return following the 2001 edition.
Felipe Perrone’s energetic play and accurate shooting make him the Manual Estiarte (six-time Spanish Olympian) of our times.
His first World Championships were here in Fukuoka and he has played 11 since, missing 2017.
Perrone showed just how he can move his body through the water and strike fear in his opponents when he stole five goals against Montenegro on Wednesday, giving his team an inside seat at the quarterfinals should Spain surpass South Africa, as expected, on Friday. He scored four goals in the 16-14 win over Serbia on Monday.
So, what keeps him ticking?
“This is a lovely sport and I love training sessions, spending time with the guys. We even go on vacation together!
“For me it is a pleasure, even more than when I was a kid. I just enjoy playing it. It’s such a beautiful game.”
Perrone, who has played Olympics for Spain and Brazil, was in Fukuoka in 2001 and he remembers well the temporary pool in the outdoor tennis stadium and the oppressive 50C heat on the pool deck.
I forgot to ask him if he remembered that his team had to sing the national anthem as an audio tape could not be found.
“It’s a pleasure to play in this wonderful venue and having all the kids learning our sport,” he said following Spain’s 11-7 win over Montenegro.
Perrone loves being in the water and was averaging nearly 28 minutes a 32-minute match before today, where he stayed in for 25 minutes 33 seconds — second only to 25-year-old Alvaro Granados of the field players.
The Spanish team is unique insofar as all 13 players in Fukuoka were standing on the gold-medal dais in Budapest last year — another rare feat. And last month it won the World Aquatics World Cup in Los Angeles with just the Olympic crown missing.
In a year’s time, we hope to see Perrone equal Estiarte’s feat of six Olympic Games and perhaps mine more gold.
Spain after winning the World Aquatics World Cup.